


Carousel of Life

by NightFlowerLuv



Category: Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: (that might not be precisely the right term feel free to correct me I'm doing my best here), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Genderfluid Naoto, Multi, Novelization, Previous Generations Actually Step Up, Saving Goro Akechi, Self-Indulgent, Where Has The Kirijo Group Been, because I don't want to feel like I'm falsely advertising what's actually Here lol, since it's going to follow the game but Change Things, sorta - Freeform, tags subject to change as the fic goes on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 11:03:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17559152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightFlowerLuv/pseuds/NightFlowerLuv
Summary: Ain't it great, how it changed the paths of our livesSet us off on new adventuresConnections drive this world of ours. Bonds that reach out through time and space can warp the fabric of reality, for good or for evil. It's up to the people making and maintaining those bonds to ensure they're used for good.To sever the bonds that keep us tied down, and to reach out for the ones sure to pull us higher: in a sense, that is the goal of all life -- and when someone can't do that themselves, sometimes it's only right for some nosy goody-two-shoes folks to come and do it for them, no matter how much they kick or scream.Naoto Shirogane may not be the nosiest or the goody-est, but there's someone out there, stranded, waiting to be reached, and Naoto has the best chance of actually making that connection.As for everything that brings with it... Well, Naoto isn't alone, and if there's one thing that's proven true time and again, however cheesy, it's that people really can accomplishanythingif they have people they care about backing them up.





	Carousel of Life

“Do you have any comment on potential causes of these incidents?”

“Are you still affiliated with the Kirijo Group? Do you have any information on the cause of their silence for the past two years?”

“Is there any truth to the claims of the Kirijo Group funding an underground organization or task force?”

A barrage of questions, as usual. Flashing camera, countless microphones… and yet, the figure at the center of it all was composed, poised; though the figure was barely more than five feet tall, no one in the crowd or watching the television broadcast would have ever guessed.

“Shirogane-san —”

“Shirogane-san, after two years, why have you only now taken a supposed interest in your successor?”

“Well…”

The center of attention finally spoke; perhaps this was the topic they truly wanted to discuss. The words seemed hesitant, but not nervous — the confidence exuding from every word was far too strong for that.

“I understand that it may seem strange that I’ve only become a part of this investigation now — and I certainly hope it doesn’t feel like I’m stepping on any toes. I truly do hope that this ‘New Detective Prince’ isn’t working himself as hard as I was at that age, of course —” there were a few laughs at the tone of that statement — “and I hope that I can provide as much help as possible. My goal is simply to discover the truth behind these mental shutdown incidents.”

A pause.

“… On the topic of the Kirijo Group, all I can say is that their lack of activity over the past two years is not connected to what has kept me away from this case until now. I cannot confirm or deny connections between the incidents and the Group at this time, as I am not, and have never been, directly affiliated with them.”

The statement ended with a sense of finality, and though the cameras continued to flash ad the questions all started once again, the figure turned and began to walk away.

A car waited in the back lot of the venue where this press event had taken place, its paint job grey and unassuming. The driver smiled as the door opened, meeting his passenger’s eyes in the rear-view mirror.

“Not a bad bit of misdirection there,” he said, humor in his voice.

“I hadn’t realized you could hear from all the way back here,” the passenger replied, a single eyebrow raised — not in accusation, but in the same humor as the driver.

“What can I say, technology these days is pretty extraordinary,” the driver replied, with a bit of a shrug. As he started the car, he changed the subject. “Long hair today?”

“I’ve been binding a bit too much lately, I think,” was the reply, “and I suppose I wanted to see if I could pull it off.”

“I don’t know how much it means, coming from me, but you should know: you always pull it off.”

A laugh. “Yes, you’re a very kind person, senpai.”

“C’mon,” the driver huffed. “By this point, shouldn’t I be calling _you_ that?”

“I can hardly even imagine it!” Another laugh permeated these words. “I supposed old habits truly die hard.”

“Well, it seems like we’ll have plenty of time coming up to correct them.”

“It has been a while since we’ve spent time together.” A pause, and a slight turn of the head. “How have your studies been going?”

A light sigh. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. I’m doing fine, though I can’t speak for my roommate.”

That got a larger laugh, and the conversation continued in that vein until the car pulled up in front of an unassuming apartment building.

“Don’t be a stranger,” the driver said, smile growing slightly.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” his passenger replied, smiling in turn.

* * *

That day, a train derailment rocked Shibuya, resulting in substantial loss and injury.

That day, a transfer student’s criminal record was found out and leaked.

A TV station president got into a shouting match with the manager of a group of idols.

A transfer request was sent to a small town in the Yamanashi Prefecture — specifically, their police department.

A tenured professor at a large university went to his forensics lab, and manufactured false evidence.

A teenage detective, done with his extracurricular activities for the day, came home to an empty apartment, exhausted, and screamed into a pillow.

A strange man with bulging eyes and a hooked nose tapped his finger on his desk, the constant rhythm echoing in the vast space he occupied. A grin stretched across his face.

And so, life went on.

**Author's Note:**

> So this fic has been gnawing at me like crazy over the past few weeks! To make a long story short, a few weeks ago I finished up this [long project](http://livebloggingandreblogging.tumblr.com/post/181929301864/well-i-deleted-the-original-when-trying-to-delete) featuring, essentially, the events of P5 set to "Wait For It" from Hamilton, and the process reawakened my intense and undeniable need to Save Goro Akechi. While many fics I read helped, it kept gnawing and gnawing and then I started thinking about the Persona 4 cast and what I could do with them and it kept gnawing more until eventually I had a full fic idea.
> 
> ... I actually had a few different ideas, including a Self-Insert, but I decided on this one, which is self-indulgent enough already, lol.
> 
> This is just the prologue and since I have school and another higher-priority longterm project and also Kingdom Hearts 3 comes out in two days and that's going to be a solid month where nothing productive gets done in the entire world, I have no idea when I'm going to get the chance to write more of this, and I can guarantee updates aren't going to be regular no matter what. Still, though, I hope you all enjoy this small taste of what's to come, and that it gives you ideas of your own, maybe. Arceus knows there can never be too many fics Saving Goro Akechi.


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